Fiber manufacturing method, non-woven fabric manufacturing method, and fiber manufacturing equipment

A non-woven fabric manufacturing method comprising the following steps of:

• (A) dissolving a polymer in a solvent to obtain a polymer solution;
• (B) spraying the polymer solution into a liquid heated to a boiling point of the solvent or higher, and evaporating the solvent to precipitate a fibrous polymer in a sealed precipitation tank, the liquid being immiscible with the polymer and the solvent;
• (C) conveying the precipitated fibrous polymer in a liquid from the precipitation tank;
• (D) water-rinsing the fibrous polymer conveyed in the liquid in the step (C) in a sealed water-rinsing tank;
• (E) conveying the water-rinsed fibrous polymer in a liquid from the water-rinsing tank;
• (F) cooling and condensing solvent gas that is generated in the step (B) and the step (D);
• (G) separating water from the fibrous polymer subjected to the step (E) to obtain a sheet polymer;
• and
• (H) forming the sheet polymer into a non-woven fabric.

A fiber manufacturing equipment comprising:

• a polymer dissolving tank that dissolves a polymer in a solvent to obtain a polymer solution;
• a sealed precipitation tank that sprays the polymer solution into a liquid heated to a boiling point of the solvent or higher, and evaporates the solvent to precipitate the polymer in a fibrous state, the liquid being immiscible with the polymer and the solvent;
• a sealed water-rinsing tank that rinses the precipitated fibrous polymer with water;
• a tank for separating out water that separates water from the water-rinsed fibrous polymer;
• a first liquid delivery unit that conveys the water containing the fibrous polymer in a liquid from the precipitation tank to the water-rinsing tank;
• a second liquid delivery unit that conveys the water containing the fibrous polymer in a liquid from the water-rinsing tank to the tank for separating out water;
• and
• a condenser that cools and condenses solvent gas that is generated in the precipitation tank and the water-rinsing tank.